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The End of the Many-Worlds? (or Could we save Everett's interpretation)

Aurélien Drezet

This is a manuscript to be published as a book chapter. The text summarizes some of my critics concerning Everett's theory as seen from the perspective of a Bohmian. This is the second draft and comments are still welcome.

arXiv:1502.06709Feb 24, 20150 citations

Introduction

Robert Charles Koons, William M. Simpson, Nicholas J. Teh

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the challenge to traditional Aristotelian metaphysics posed by the 'block universe' of special relativity, as modeled by Minkowski spacetime. It focuses on quantum physics and the modern (Oxford) version of the Everett or many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The book offers a formal development of the Traveling Forms interpretation (TF) and defends it from various objections. It utilizes quantum physics to launch an attack on neo-Humean metaphysics, a contemporary Humean account of the nature of causal powers. The book also considers the threat to localized causal powers posed by quantum holism. It proposes a special kind of power possessed by certain composite entities—namely, a dynamic structural power, by which the entity sustains itself in existence over time. The book seeks to rehabilitate the idea of animals as agents.This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the challenge to traditional Aristotelian metaphysics posed by the 'block universe' of special relativity, as modeled by Minkowski spacetime. It focuses on quantum physics and the modern (Oxford) version of the Everett or many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. The book offers a formal development of the Traveling Forms interpretation (TF) and defends it from various objections. It utilizes quantum physics to launch an attack on neo-Humean metaphysics, a contemporary Humean account of the nature of causal powers. The book also considers the threat to localized causal powers posed by quantum holism. It proposes a special kind of power possessed by certain composite entities—namely, a dynamic structural power, by which the entity sustains itself in existence over time. The book seeks to rehabilitate the idea of animals as agents.

Routledge eBooksOct 19, 20170 citations

Philosophical Interlude I: ‘Probability’ and ‘Realism’

Florian J. Boge

European studies in philosophy of scienceJan 1, 20180 citations

Many worlds

Alastair I. M. Rae

A completely different interpretation of the measurement problem, one which many professional scientists have found attractive if only because of its mathematical elegance, was first suggested by Hugh Everett III in 1957 and is known variously as the ‘relative state’, ‘many-worlds’ or ‘branching-universe’ interpretation. This viewpoint gives no special role to the conscious mind and to this extent the theory is completely objective, but we shall see that many of its other consequences are in their own way just as revolutionary as those discussed in the previous chapter. The essence of the many-worlds interpretation can be illustrated by again considering the example of the 45° polarised photon approaching the H/V detector. Remember what we demonstrated in Chapters 2 and 4: from the wave point of view a 45° polarised light wave is equivalent to a superposition of a horizontally polarised wave and a vertically polarised wave. If we were able to think purely in terms of waves, the effect of the H/V polariser on the 45° polarised wave would be simply to split the wave into these two components. These would then travel through the H and V channels respectively, half the original intensity being detected in each. In contrast, photons cannot be split, but they can be considered to be in a superposition state until a measurement ‘collapses’ the system into one or other of its possible outcomes.A completely different interpretation of the measurement problem, one which many professional scientists have found attractive if only because of its mathematical elegance, was first suggested by Hugh Everett III in 1957 and is known variously as the ‘relative state’, ‘many-worlds’ or ‘branching-universe’ interpretation. This viewpoint gives no special role to the conscious mind and to this extent the theory is completely objective, but we shall see that many of its other consequences are in their own way just as revolutionary as those discussed in the previous chapter. The essence of the many-worlds interpretation can be illustrated by again considering the example of the 45° polarised photon approaching the H/V detector. Remember what we demonstrated in Chapters 2 and 4: from the wave point of view a 45° polarised light wave is equivalent to a superposition of a horizontally polarised wave and a vertically polarised wave. If we were able to think purely in terms of waves, the effect of the H/V polariser on the 45° polarised wave would be simply to split the wave into these two components. These would then travel through the H and V channels respectively, half the original intensity being detected in each. In contrast, photons cannot be split, but they can be considered to be in a superposition state until a measurement ‘collapses’ the system into one or other of its possible outcomes.

Cambridge University Press eBooksMar 26, 20120 citations

The problem of confirmation in the Everett interpretation

Emily Adlam

arXiv:1504.01063Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern PhysicsApr 18, 201439 citations

On the Everettian Epistemic Problem

Hilary Greaves

Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern PhysicsFeb 21, 200787 citations

First Interlude

Abstract

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First Interlude

Abstract

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